Big defence projects are usually late and over budget – here’s what we can learn from the build-up to WW2: UK defence minister Alex Chalk visited Rosyth shipyard in Fife, Scotland a few days ago to kick off construction on the second ship in a new class of frigates for the Royal Navy. The navy …
Link between crime and politics in South Africa raises concerns about criminal gangs taking over: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa receives reports of the of the state capture commission from Justice Raymond Zondo. The reports found exposed massive state corruption involving private individuals and companies. GCIS A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised …
Older women are smashing it this awards season – but ageism is far from over: Older and middle-aged women are having their moment in the sun, it seems. The recent Golden Globes coverage was filled with images of “older” women on the red carpet. There were some notable wins too. Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh and …
Ukraine war: why Germany dragged its feet over supplying Leopard tanks to Ukraine: The decision to provide heavy tanks to Ukraine in significant numbers constitutes a step change in western military support for Ukraine. For the first time, western countries are providing substantial offensive capabilities to support a major campaign to regain lost territory. The …
Q&A: Why are the Scottish and UK governments going to court over gender recognition laws?: The Scottish and UK governments are heading to court over a plan to change the law in Scotland to make it easier for people to change their legal gender. We asked a legal expert to explain what the dispute is …
Ukraine war: supply of advanced tanks will give Kyiv an edge over Russia and move it closer to Nato: When he appeared before the UK’s House of Commons Defence Committee in November 2021 to defend his government’s cuts to the armed forces, the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, declared that “the old concepts of fighting …
Brazil’s military is supposed to safeguard democracy – yet its threat of intervention hangs over politics: The sacking of the three buildings comprising the seat of government in Brasilia on January 8 was a reminder of an unresolved tension in the heart of the Brazilian state: the role of the armed forces. As in many …
Gender recognition certificates: self-identification and the row over it explained: Self-identification will relieve trans people of the (often distressing) medical scrutiny that has historically been required. slexp880 / Shutterstock The UK’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, has announced a review of the list of countries whose gender recognition certificates are recognised by the UK. This could …
Vietnam war: how US involvement has influenced foreign policy decisions over 50 years: 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the US withdrawal from Vietnam and the war still casts long shadows over American life. The cost in lives was enormous. Over almost 20 years, more than 2.7 million Americans served in uniform in the conflict, …
House speaker election: fight over Kevin McCarthy’s leadership has exposed limits of Trump’s power: Days after what was supposed to be a victory lap for Kevin McCarthy, and Republicans still haven’t figured out who the next speaker of the House will be. The chamber had taken eleven votes as this article went to press, with …
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much: Africa Studio/Shutterstock This holiday season, as COVID restrictions have eased around the world, we have the chance to break bread together again with friends and family. For some people, however, the festive period comes …
Western leaders are divided over the future of relations with China: European Council president Charles Michel heads to Beijing on December 1, the latest in a procession of western leaders to seek an audience with Xi Jinping, in a year when the Chinese president has cemented his position as the country’s most powerful leader since …
The days of the hydrogen car are already over: Hydrogen fuel cell cars emerged as an alternative to both the electric and combustion engine vehicle in the early 2000s. They were widely considered an avenue towards universal green motoring. Powered through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, the only tailpipe emission they produce is …
Over 12% of South African adults have diabetes – education is critical to achieve good outcomes: Type 2 diabetes mostly affects adults of a certain age. Shutterstock Over 12% of adults in South Africa have diabetes. Since 2019, researchers at the University of Pretoria have been working on the Tshwane Insulin Project. The project consists …
Greece’s ‘Watergate’ explained: why the European Parliament is investigating over a wiretapping scandal: After Greece and the European Central Bank agreed post-economic-crash bailout terms in 2010, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a 146-page report outlining all the key state problems that were seen as having caused Greece’s fiscal crisis. One of them was corruption, …
How to iterate over tables in Lua: How to iterate over tables in Lua Seth Kenlon Fri, 11/04/2022 – 03:00 In the Lua programming language, an array is called a table. A table is used in Lua to store data. If you’re storing a lot of data in a structured way, it’s useful to know …
Nigeria’s deadly conflicts over water and grazing pasture are escalating – here’s why: A young fulani herder walking his livestock. Alucardion/Shutterstock Violence in the Sahel is escalating, killing more than 11,000 people in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso since 2012. Such conflict has emerged for a number of reasons, including religious insurgencies and access to …
Ukraine war: what, if any, are the chances of toppling Putin and who might take over?: h Speculation regarding how secure Vladimir Putin’s position is surfaces every few years, but has intensified since the invasion of Ukraine, particularly in light of Russia’s military failures in recent months. Many of these speculative debates discuss either who …